Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Does your family sit around the Easter dinner table boasting of crimes they've committed in the past year? If so, you might have Norwegian ancestry.

Norwegians at this time of year indulge in a tradition known as "Easter Crime," which involves reading crime novels and watching police dramas on television. The country's crime rate is currently low, but historically Norway was the home base of a notorious gang of thugs.

Nobody knows when the Norwegian tradition of crime telling at Easter began, but their warrior ancestors -- the Vikings -- were renowned for raiding trips to the British Isles.

On their return the Vikings would settle down with flasks of mead, an alcoholic drink made from honey, and recount tales of murder and pillage to their women and children. [Link]